A/N This story is a response to the 50 Art of Words Challenge on Memory Butterfly forum. There will be 50 chapters, one for each prompt.
Disclaimer- None of the characters belong to me, unless I make up an OC.
All quotations at the beginning of the chapters were found courtesy of The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
"At the midnight in the silence of the sleep-time,
When you set your fancies free." –Robert Browning
Chapter One- Midnight
That sultry summer night was the night I fell in love with Teddy Lupin.
That tempestuous summer was one of beginnings-of new paths and directions my heart had never followed. It all started with a storm. Or rather, with my fear of storms.
All my life, I had been afraid of storms. The noises of thunder crashing and lightning striking never failed to bring a cold sweat and shivers to my otherwise idyllic summer nights.
Normally, I bore the fear alone. What would my family say, with our Gryffindor heritage of bravery, if it was discovered that I had a fear of a simple cycle of nature? Deep down I knew they would love me just the same, but still, I refused to tell them. No one knew, and I hoped it would stay that way. And so the terror continued until he stopped it.
It was late, about midnight, and the house was still. Mum, Dad, Dominique, and Louis were all deeply asleep as the tumult outside pounded and shook the small cottage, the waves seemingly crashing in our ears.
Teddy was asleep too, on the couch in our den. He stayed at our house some weekend nights in the summer, and others at other family members of ours, as it was lonely in his house, just him and his gran, who many thought was beginning to go mad with grief. He preferred our house, since we didn't have masses of infants as all the rest of my family. Dominique and Louis were one and two years younger than me, respectively.
The thunder boomed again, and I let out a small whimper. Yes, here I was, a Weasley, eleven years old, and still afraid of weather!
I had to do something. I shook myself a little, and decided to go talk to Teddy, who I had been friends with since birth. I knew he wouldn't mock me.
My family didn't know I was afraid of storms. Even when I was small, I kept it to myself. After hearing all the war stories, who would share a fear like that?
I tip-toed out of my room silently, and made my way to the dark den where Teddy lay. I leaned over the couch, hesitant to disturb his slumber.
He lay peacefully, with a hint of a smile on his face, as if he were dreaming of something amusing. A lock of mousy brown hair lay over his eyes, eyes that would be grey when open, a stormy gray, that darkened and lightened with his mood. He had his mouth open slightly, and a small snore was emitted at odds with the thunder.
"Teddy?" I whispered.
His eyes flew open immediately, as if he were only pretending to be in comatose slumber.
Instantly alert, he whispered back, "Victoire?"
I stared at him as lightning lit the room and cast an eerie glow onto his features
He seemed to understand at once and whispered again, "The storm?"
I nodded, almost paralyzed with fear.
"Well," he said, stretching like a cat. "You know what always helps me when I'm scared?"
"What?" I asked in a small voice.
"Hot cocoa. Works like a charm."
"Really?" I said timidly, jumping as thunder suddenly sounded.
"Absolutely. Come on, let's go find some." He stretched out a hand, and we went to the kitchen to find cocoa.
That night I found the cure for fear. Chocolate.
And every night that summer, and for many years afterward, every time there was a storm, I could expect Teddy's owl, Achilles, to deliver a parcel of cocoa mix to my window. Achilles didn't seem to mind. He loved Teddy. And, starting that night, I did too.
A/N This chapter has been edited with the help of lyin'. Thanks for bearing with me, readers!
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